Rangaraj Subbiah (born 3 October 1954), professionally known as Sathyaraj, is an Indian actor, producer, director and a media personality who has predominantly appeares in

Tamil cinema Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywo ...

and

Telugu Cinema Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, ...

. His 240 films also include works in

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam wa ...

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

and

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

. He started his career in antagonistic roles and later played lead roles. He met with success through lead performances in '' Vedham Pudhithu'' (1987), '' Nadigan'' (1990), ''

Amaidhi Padai ''Amaidhi Padai'' () is a 1994 Indian Tamil-language political action film, written and directed by Manivannan. Sathyaraj played a dual role as father and son in the film, with Ranjitha playing the female lead. The story revolves around an or ...

'' (1994), ''

Periyar Erode Venkatappa Ramasamy (17 September 1879 – 24 December 1973), revered as Periyar or Thanthai Periyar, was an Indian social activist and politician who started the Self-Respect Movement and Dravidar Kazhagam. He is known as the 'F ...

'' (2007) and '' Onbadhu Roobai Nottu'' (2007). He also received acclaim for supporting roles in ''

Nanban Nanban may refer to: Japan * Nanban art, Japanese art of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries influenced by contact with the Nanban * Nanban trade or the , was a period in the history of Japan from the arrival of Europeans in 1543 to the ...

'' (2012), ''Mirchi'' (2013), '' Raja Rani'' (2013), '' Baahubali'' (2015), ''

Baahubali 2 ''Baahubali 2: The Conclusion'' is a 2017 Indian epic action film directed by S. S. Rajamouli, who co-wrote the film with V. Vijayendra Prasad. It was produced by Shobu Yarlagadda and Prasad Devineni under the banner Arka Media Works. The fi ...

'' (2017), '' Kanaa'' (2018), and ''Jersey'' (2019). He was also the director of the film '' Villadhi Villain'' (1995), starring himself in three different roles. In 2011, he had a brief career as a television host for the game show ''Home Sweet Home'' on STAR Vijay. He has also served as a

brand ambassador A brand ambassador (sometimes also called a corporate ambassador) is a person engaged by an organization or company to represent its brand in a positive light, helping to increase brand awareness and sales. The brand ambassador is meant to embo ...

for

Pothys Pothys is a chain of textile showrooms in South India. Originally they exclusively sold silk sarees, but today all types of garments are sold. The flagship store in Chennai is called Pothys' Palace. History Pothys (stylised as POTHYS) was ...

, Susi Emu farms, and Kumaran jewellery Shop.

Early life

Sathyaraj was born as Rangaraj on 3 October 1954 to Subbiah, a doctor, and Nathambal, with two younger sisters, namely Kalpana Mandradiar and Roopa Senapathy. He is an ardent fan of M. G. Ramachandran and Hindi actor

Rajesh Khanna Rajesh Khanna () (; born Jatin Khanna; 29 December 1942 – 18 July 2012) was an Indian actor, film producer and politician who worked in Hindi films. He is called as the "First Superstar of Hindi cinema", he consecutively starred in a record ...

. Sathyaraj completed his primary school education in St Mary's Convent school,

Coimbatore Coimbatore, also spelt as Koyamputhur (), sometimes shortened as Kovai (), is one of the major metropolitan cities in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyyal River and surrounded by the Western Ghats. Coimbat ...

and later studied for tenth standard from Suburban High School, Ramnagar, Coimbatore. He went to Government Arts College, Coimbatore, for a Bachelor of Science degree in

botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...

. Sathyaraj's dream was to become an actor, but his mother was against it and forbid him to join cinema. In 1976, in spite of his mother's opposition, he left Coimbatore to enter the Tamil film industry based in Kodambakkam, Chennai. Sathyaraj entered the film industry after witnessing the shooting of the film ''

Annakili ''Annakili'' is a 1976 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film, directed by Devaraj–Mohan and written by Panchu Arunachalam from a story by R. Selvaraj. The film stars Sivakumar and Sujatha with S. V. Subbaiah, Srikanth, Thengai Sriniva ...

'', where he met actor

Sivakumar Palaniswamy, better known by his stage name Sivakumar (born 27 October 1941), is an Indian visual artist and former actor who has portrayed a wide range of leading and supporting roles onscreen in Tamil cinema and television. He made his acti ...

and producer Thiruppur Manian and started pestering them to help him fulfill his cinematic ambitions. Sivakumar vehemently criticized his interest in acting and advised him to immediately return home. Nevertheless, he remained in Chennai. Producer Maathampatty Sivakumar supported him with sending money every month. He joined the drama troupe of Komal Swamynathan. Sathyaraj's first film in a credited role as an actor was ''

Sattam En Kaiyil ''Sattam En Kaiyil'' () is a 1978 Indian Tamil-language action film directed by T. N. Balu starring Kamal Haasan and Sripriya. It was remade in Hindi as ''Yeh To Kamaal Ho Gaya'' (1982), with Haasan returning. Plot The film revolves around ...

'', in 1978, where he played a henchman to the main villain played by Thengai Srinivasan in the film. Later, he worked as production manager for the film '' Kannan Oru Kaikkuzhanthai''. In addition to his managerial role, he also had a small acting part in the film. His first film as the leading hero in Tamil was ''

Saavi ''Saavi'' () is a 1985 Indian Tamil-language crime thriller film, written and directed by Karthik Raghunath. The film stars Sathyaraj, Jaishankar, Saritha and Nizhalgal Ravi, with music composed by Gangai Amaran. It is a remake of 1985 Hindi fil ...

'' in 1985, which was a box office success. He acted in about 75 films from 1978 to 1985, most of which featured Sathyaraj in antagonist roles.

Career

1978–1985: Early career

In his early career between 1978 and 1982, the antagonistic roles he played were often henchman to the main villain M. N. Nambiar and other villains and his role would be minor, while the main lead was

Sivaji Ganesan Villupuram Chinnaiya Manrayar Ganesamoorthy, better known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan, (1 October 1928 – 21 July 2001) was an Indian actor and producer. He was active in Tamil cinema during the latter half of the 20th century. Sivaji G ...

Jaishankar Jaishankar (12 July 1938 – 3 June 2000) was an Indian actor known for his work in Tamil cinema. He was a very popular lead actor in the 1960s and 70s. He was credited onscreen with title of ''Makkal Kalaingnar'' (people's artiste) or '' ...

Kamal Haasan Kamal Haasan (born 7 November 1954) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, playback singer, television presenter and politician who works mainly in Tamil cinema and has also appeared in some Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Kannada and Bengali f ...

Rajinikanth Shivaji Rao Gaikwad (born 12 December 1950), known professionally as Rajinikanth, is an Indian actor, producer and screenwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has done 160 films that includes films in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannad ...

and Vijayakanth. His college friend Manivannan directed Sathyaraj for the first time in the Tamil film ''

January 1 January 1 or 1 January is the first day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 364 days remaining until the end of the year (365 in leap years). This day is also known as New Year's Day since the day marks the beginning of the ye ...

'' in 1984, where Sathyaraj had a supporting role. Manivannan directed Sathyaraj in about 25 films from 1984 to 2013 and of them 18 had Sathyaraj as the main lead. His screen space as a villain increased after ''

24 Mani Neram ''24 Mani Neram'' (read as "Irupatthi Naalu Mani Neram"; ) is a 1984 Indian Tamil-language thriller film written and directed by Manivannan, starring Mohan, Sathyaraj, Nalini, and Jaishankar. The music was composed by Ilaiyaraaja with editing ...

'' (1984), directed by Manivannan, in which Sathyaraj's role was on par with that of lead actor Mohan. His acting skills in the film were noticed by many and he became famous among the Tamil film audience. Sathyaraj also felt that his villainous roles in ''

Nooravathu Naal ''Nooravathu Naal'' () is a 1984 Indian Tamil-language mystery thriller film written and directed by Manivannan. The film stars Vijayakanth, Mohan and Nalini, with Thengai Srinivasan, Janagaraj and Sathyaraj in supporting roles. It is an u ...

'' and ''Anbin Mugavari'', both again directed by Manivannan, had better footage than that of Vijayakanth's and Mohan's. In ''

Needhiyin Nizhal ''Needhiyin Nizhal'' () is a 1985 Indian Tamil-language film, directed by Bharathi- Vasu and produced by Santhi Narayanasamy. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Radha, Prabhu and M. N. Nambiar. The film had musical score by Shankar–Ganesh, and ...

'' (1985), which featured

Prabhu ''Prabhu'' means master or the Prince in Sanskrit and many of the Indian languages; it is a name sometimes applied to God. The term is also used by devotees of the Hindu God Lord Krishna/ Vishnu as a title and form of address. It is also appen ...

in the lead role, Sathyaraj had a minuscule supporting role and played second fiddle to the main villain M. N. Nambiar. Sathyaraj started receiving offers to act as the hero in Tamil films from 1985. Directors were reluctant to cast him as the protagonist as his second film as a lead actor '' Iravu Pookkal'' (1985) was not a success. Most of the films he was part of were of the action genre in this period.

1986–1989: Lead roles

In the 1986 film '' Kadalora Kavithaigal'', he played the lead romantic role and ''Behindwoods'' said: "Sathyaraj broke his image of an action hero and came up with a rollicking performance. He is the real star of the film." He received appreciation for playing his role in ''

Mr. Bharath ''Mr. Bharath'' is a 1986 Indian Tamil-language masala film directed by S. P. Muthuraman. The film stars Rajinikanth, Sathyaraj and Ambika. A remake of the Hindi film '' Trishul'', it revolves around a son's revenge against his father for che ...

'' (1986), which revolved around the conflict between father, played by Sathyaraj and son (

). Sathyaraj acted as Rajinikanth's father in the film, though he was in fact 4 years younger than Rajinikanth. Manivanan, being friends with Sathyaraj, kept casting him in roles in his directorial ventures, regularly showcasing different emotions from Sathyaraj in films such as ''

Muthal Vasantham ''Muthal Vasantham'' () is a 1986 Indian Tamil-language masala film, directed by Manivannan and produced by P. Kalaimani, who also wrote the film's story. It stars Pandiyan, Chandrasekar, Ramya Krishnan and Mahalakshmi. The film, released on 2 ...

'', ''

Palaivana Rojakkal ''Palaivana Rojakkal'' () is a 1986 Indian Tamil-language political satire film written by M. Karunanidhi and directed by Manivannan. It is a remake of the Malayalam film '' Vartha'', released earlier the same year. The film stars Sathyaraj, Lak ...

'' and ''

Vidinja Kalyanam ''Vidinja Kalyanam'' () is a 1986 Indian Tamil-language thriller film directed by Manivannan, starring Sathyaraj and Jayashree. It was released on 1 November 1986. The film was remade in Kannada as ''Suryodaya'' (1993). Plot A death-senten ...

''. After ''Kadalora Kavithaigal'', Sathyaraj had box office hits as the lead hero between 1986 and 1988 such as ''Mandhira Punnagai'', '' Kadamai Kanniyam Kattupaadu'', ''

Poovizhi Vasalile ''Poovizhi Vasalile'' () is a 1987 Indian Tamil-language thriller film directed by Fazil, starring Sathyaraj, Sujitha and Karthika, with Raghuvaran, Babu Antony, Nizhalgal Ravi, T. S. Raghavendra and Rajyalakshmi playing supporting roles. The ...

'', ''

Makkal En Pakkam ''Makkal En Pakkam'' () is a 1987 Indian Tamil-language action film directed by Karthik Raghunath. The film stars Sathyaraj, Rajesh, and Ambika. It is a remake of the 1986 Malayalam film ''Rajavinte Makan''. The film was blockbuster at box off ...

'' (in which he had dual roles), ''

Annanagar Mudhal Theru ''Annanagar Mudhal Theru'' () is a 1988 Indian Tamil-language comedy drama film directed by Balu Anand. The film stars Sathyaraj, Prabhu, Ambika, Radha. It a remake of the 1986 Malayalam film ''Gandhinagar 2nd Street''. Plot Sivaraman, unabl ...

'', '' En Bommukutty Ammavukku'' and ''

Chinnappadass ''Chinnappadass'' is a 1989 Indian Tamil-language film directed by C. V. Rajendran, his final film as director. The film stars Sathyaraj and Radha. It is a remake of the Hindi film '' Insaaf''. The film was released on 28 July 1989. Plot C ...

''. Manivanan from 1987 onward started casting Sathyaraj in positive roles and their combination had box office hits like '' Chinna Thambi Periya Thambi'', '' Jallikattu'', ''

Ganam Courtar Avargale ''Ganam Courtar Avargale'' () is a 1988 Indian Tamil-language film written and directed by Manivannan. The film stars Sathyaraj and Ambika. It was released on 20 May 1988. Plot Jayabhaskar "Bhaski", an aspiring lawyer, works under veteran l ...

'' and ''Chinnappadas'' in this period. Sathyaraj received the Best Tamil Actor award in Filmfare Awards South for his performance in '' Vedham Pudhithu'' (1987). Sathyaraj had established himself as a leading actor and in ''Chinna Thambi Periya Thambi'', in which

and Sathyaraj were cast in the starring role, Prabhu's character played second fiddle to Sathyaraj's character. He played a bespectacled leading man in the commercially successful ''Ganam Courtaar Avargaley'' His 99th film was '' Dravidan'' and his 100th film was ''

Vaathiyaar Veettu Pillai ''Vaathiyaar Veettu Pillai'' () is a 1989 Indian Tamil-language film, directed by P. Vasu. It stars Sathyaraj and Shobana. This was Sathyaraj's 100th film as an actor. ''Vaathiyaar Veettu Pillai'' was released on 28 October 1989, alongside anoth ...

'' but the latter fared better at the box office.

1990–1999: Breakthrough

In the 90s, he attempted more films of comedy and action genres and occasionally did romantic films. He had few unsuccessful films such as '' Madurai Veeran Enga Saami'', '' Magudam'', ''

Pangali ''Pangali'' () is a 1992 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film starring Sathyaraj and Bhanupriya, Goundamani. The film stars Sathyaraj enacting dual role. It was released on 12 September 2022. Plot Cast * Sathyaraj as Sakthivel & Dura ...

'' and '' Kattalai'' in this period as he became selective of choosing his roles as main lead hero. Many of them were commercially successful, such as '' Velai Kidaichuduchu'', '' Nadigan'', ''

Pudhu Manithan ''Pudhu Manithan'' () is a 1991 Indian Tamil-language film, directed by Manivannan. The film stars Sathyaraj and Bhanupriya, with Sarathkumar as the antagonist. The film's music was by Deva and was released on 22 March 1991 was a box office hit. ...

'', ''

Rickshaw Mama ''Rickshaw Mama'' () is a 1992 Indian Tamil-language film directed by P. Vasu. The film stars Sathyaraj, Gouthami and Khushbu. It was released on 15 January 1992, and completed a 100-day run. Plot Bhuvana, a lonely girl who is parent-less, l ...

'', ''

Walter Vetrivel ''Walter Vetrivel'' is a 1993 Indian Tamil-language action film written and directed by P. Vasu. The film stars Sathyaraj, Sukanya and Ranjitha, with Vijayakumar, Goundamani, Nassar, Ganthimathi, Mohan Raj and Raj Chander in supporting roles ...

'', ''

Airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...

'', ''

Thai Maaman ''Thai Maaman'' () is a 1994 Indian Tamil-language political satire film starring Sathyaraj and Meena. It was released on 16 September 1994. Plot Rasappan (Sathyaraj) is a wealthy but irresponsible landlord in a village, who loves his niece ...

'' '' Veera Padhakkam'' and ''

Azhagarsamy Azhagarsamy is a 1999 Tamil language drama film directed by Sundar C. The film stars Sathyaraj and Roja. The film, produced by Malar Balu, had musical score by Deva and was released on 10 December 1999. Plot A rich landlord gave money to Tha ...

''. Sathyaraj played a dual role as father and son in the box office hit '' Amaithipadai'', which is considered among his best performances. With regard to the film, he has stated: "I have no words for that film, as it took me to the next level as an actor". He also said that he almost did not sign up for the film as it was an antagonist character and he had moved away from antagonist roles and "gained some respectability" with films such as ''Poovizhi Vaasalile'', ''Vedham Pudhidhu'' and ''Walter Vetrivel''. After ''Thai Maaman'' became successful in 1994, the same team of Sathyaraj and director Guru Dhanapal decided to do their next venture ''Maaman Magal'' in 1995, which was also a moderate hit. He acted, produced and directed in his 125th film '' Villadhi Villain'', which had him in three distinct roles and it was a successful project. His pairing opposite actress Khushbu and Meena became popular in this decade. The box office hits of the pair Kushboo-Sathyaraj include ''Nadigan'', ''

Bramma ''Bramma'' is a 1991 Indian Tamil language crime thriller film directed by K. Subash and produced by M. Ramanathan. The film stars Sathyaraj, Khushbu and Bhanupriya. Goundamani, Vijayakumar, Pradeep Shakthi, and C. R. Saraswathi play support ...

'', ''Rickshaw Mama'', ''

Kalyana Galatta ''Kalyana Galatta'' is a 1998 Indian Tamil-language comedy film written and directed by Rajkapoor, starring Sathyaraj, Mantra and Khushboo. The film, scored by Yuvan Shankar Raja, filmed by Rajarathinam and edited by B. Lenin and V. T. Vijay ...

'', '' Suyamvaram'', '' Malabar Police'' and ''

Unnai Kann Theduthey ''Unnai Kann Theduthey'' () is a 2000 Indian Tamil-language drama film, directed by Sundar C, starring Sathyaraj, Khushbu, Livingston and Ravali. The film had musical score by Deva and was released in 2000. Cast *Sathyaraj as Vichu *Khushbu ...

''. The on-screen pair of Sathyaraj- Meena together had average grossers such as ''Thai Maaman'', '' Maaman Magal'' and ''

Vallal ''Vallal'' is an Indian Tamil-language musical comedy film released in 1997. This movie is directed by Raj Kapoor. The movie stars Sathyaraj, Meena, Manorama, Goundamani, Senthil and Sangeetha. The film was remade in Telugu as '' Raayudu'' ...

''. His chemistry with actors Goundamani and

Senthil Senthil (born 23 March 1951) is an Indian comedy actor who works in Tamil cinema. He is famous for his comedian roles along with fellow actor Goundamani. The pair dominated the Tamil industry as comedians in the 1980s and 90s.Vaazhkai Chakkaram ''Vaazhkai Chakkaram'' () is a 1990 Indian Tamil-language action drama film directed by Manivannan. The film stars Sathyaraj, Gautami, Goundamani and Vinu Chakravarthy. The film, produced and written by Tirupur Mani, was released on 9 February ...

'' in 1990.

2000–2009: Comedy and Character roles

The year 2000 proved to be unsuccessful for Sathyaraj. 4 films between 2000 and 2001 ''

Veeranadai ''Veeranadai'' () is a 2000 Tamil-language action drama film, directed by Seeman, starring Sathyaraj, Khushbu and Uma. The film had musical score by Deva. Plot The story revolves around two village bigwigs, Periya Karuppan (Sathyaraj) and Ko ...

'', '' Puratchikkaaran'', '' Aandan Adimai'' and the comedy film ''

Looty ''Looty'' is a 2001 Indian Tamil-language comedy film directed by Parameswar. The film stars Sathyaraj in triple roles, Roja and Mumtaj. The film, produced by V. A. Durai, had musical score by Deva and was released on 14 January 2001 to mix ...

'' were failures while his commercially successful films were

Sundar C. Vinayagar Sundar Vel (born 21 January 1966), known professionally as Sundar C., is an Indian film director, actor and producer. He has directed over 34 films in Tamil and acted in 17 movies as the protagonist. His notable films include '' Ul ...

's ''

'',

P. Vasu Vasudevan Peethambharan, known professionally as P Vasu, is an Indian director, writer and actor who works in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, and Malayalam language films. In a career spanning three decades, Vasu has directed over 64 films. ...

's comedy film ''

Asathal ''Asathal'' is a 2001 Indian Tamil-language comedy film written and directed by P. Vasu. The film featured Sathyaraj and Ramya Krishnan in the leading roles. Produced by Mala Cine Creations and featuring music composed by Bharathwaj, the fi ...

'' and Suraj's '' Kunguma Pottu Gounder''. As many new young actors such as

Ajith Kumar Ajith Kumar (born 1 May 1971) is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Tamil films. To date, he has starred in over 60 films. His awards include four Vijay Awards, three Cinema Express Awards, three Filmfare Awards South and three Tami ...

, Vijay and

Prashanth Prashanth Thiagarajan (born 6 April 1973), known professionally as Prashanth, is an Indian actor and businessman, known for his works predominantly in Tamil cinema. Besides Tamil films, he has also appeared in few Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam f ...

who debuted in the 1990s had established themselves successfully by 2000, and others such as

R. Madhavan Ranganathan Madhavan (born 1 June 1970) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, and producer who predominantly appears in Tamil and Hindi films. Madhavan has won four Filmfare Awards South and three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards. Madhavan ...

Jiiva Amar Choudary (born 4 January 1984), known professionally as Jiiva, is an Indian actor and film producer who works mainly in Tamil cinema and a few Hindi films. He is the youngest son of film producer R. B. Choudary. He began his career as a ...

and

Srikanth Srikanth or Sreekanth is a common Indian first name. * Srikanth (Tamil actor, born 1940), Tamil film actor active in films from 1965 * Srikanth (Tamil actor, born 1980), Tamil actor active in films after 2002 * Srikanth (Telugu actor), Telugu act ...

made their mark in the mid-2000s and also since Sathyaraj had been using wigs since 1985 in films as he had begun losing hair since then, critics felt Sathyaraj's career as solo lead actor may end by 2000. Sathyaraj re-invented himself as a romantic hero with the 2002 film ''

Vivaramana Aalu ''Vivaramana Aalu'' () is a 2002 Indian Tamil language comedy drama film directed by K. Selva Bharathy. The film stars Sathyaraj, Vivek, Devayani and Mumtaj, with Ponnambalam, Prathap K. Pothan, Kanal Kannan and Manochithra playing support ...

'', as a hero '' Maaran'' and with his performance in the comedy film '' Aalukkoru Aasai'' in 2003. Sathyaraj and director Sakthi Chidambaram's combination gave 3 consecutive films, ''

Ennamma Kannu ''Ennamma Kannu'' is a 2000 Indian Tamil-language drama film, directed by Sakthi Chidambaram, starring Sathyaraj, Devayani, Ranjith and Vadivelu. The film's musical score was by Deva and was released in 2000. The name of the film was inspired ...

'', '' Maha Nadigan'' and ''

Englishkaran ''Englishkaran'' () is a 2005 Tamil-language comedy film. It stars Sathyaraj and Namitha, while Vadivelu, Madhumitha Siva Balaji, and Santhanam play supporting roles. "Englishkaran" with the tagline "Tamizh Vazhga" is a film from the hit combo ...

''. His 2004 film ''

Sema Ragalai ''Sema Ragalai'' is a 2004 Tamil-language comedy film directed by Ramkumar. The film stars Sathyaraj and Devayani, with Kalabhavan Mani in a pivotal role. The film was released in 2004. Synopsis Sathyaraj and Kalabhavan Mani are friends. Man ...

'' opposite Devayani was a hit at box office. Few films like ''

Ramachandra Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular ''avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Being ...

'', ''

Sena Sena may refer to: Places * Sanandaj or Sena, city in northwestern Iran * Sena (state constituency), represented in the Perlis State Legislative Assembly * Sena, Dashtestan, village in Bushehr Province, Iran * Sena, Huesca, municipality in Hue ...

'', ''

Azhagesan ''Azhagesan'' is a 2004 Tamil language drama film directed by Arthi Kumar. The film stars Sathyaraj and Prema. The film, produced by B. Avinash and C. Inayathullah, had musical score by Deva and was released on 20 August 2004. The film is a rem ...

'' and '' Gowravargal'' received negative reviews in this decade. He co-starred with his son Sibiraj for the first time in '' Jore'' which was average. Bizhat described "It's interesting to watch the father – son combination together in ''Jore''. Sathyaraj then acted with his son in 3 more films '' Mannin Maindhan'', ''

Vetrivel Sakthivel ''Vetrivel Sakthivel'' is a 2005 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film written and directed by Lakshmi Priyan and produced by R. S. Venkatraman. It stars Sathyaraj and his son Sibiraj alongside Khushbu Sundar and Nikita Thukral while Vadivelu ...

'' and ''

Kovai Brothers ''Kovai Brothers'' is a 2006 Tamil-language comedy spoof film written, produced, and directed by Sakthi Chidambaram. The film stars Sathyaraj, Sibiraj, Vadivelu, Namitha, Uma and Kovai Sarala. The music was composed by D. Imman. The film was du ...

'', in which the two were seen as brothers and these were commercially successful. In 2007, he produced a Tamil film ''

Lee Lee may refer to: Name Given name * Lee (given name), a given name in English Surname * Chinese surnames romanized as Li or Lee: ** Li (surname 李) or Lee (Hanzi ), a common Chinese surname ** Li (surname 利) or Lee (Hanzi ), a Chinese ...

'', starring his son . Other Films in the 2000s with Sathyaraj in the lead role that fared well at the box office were '' 6'2'', '' Vanakkam Thalaiva'', '' Kurukshetram'', '' Adavadi'', ''

'' and '' Thangam''. He received the Vijay Award for Best Actor for '' Onbadhu Roobai Nottu'' in 2007 and was also nominated for his performance in ''Periyar'' in the same year, in which he portrayed the life of social reformer and rationalist

Periyar E. V. Ramasamy Erode Venkatappa Ramasamy (17 September 1879 – 24 December 1973), revered as Periyar or Thanthai Periyar, was an Indian social activist and politician who started the Self-Respect Movement and Dravidar Kazhagam. He is known as the 'F ...

. About the role he said, "I myself being a rationalist, I found it easy to portray his character on screen. His principles and ideologies, like fighting for women's liberation and untouchability, have influenced me to a great extent".

2010–2019: Supporting Actor

Sathyaraj filming Bahubali the Conclusion (cropped)

He accepted supporting roles in Tamil films such as ''

Aagathan ''Aagathan'' () is a 2010 Indian Malayalam-language revenge drama thriller film directed by Kamal and written by Kamal and Kalavoor Ravikumar from a story by Kamal. Starring Dileep, Sathyaraj, Charmy Kaur and Lal. The music for the film was pro ...

'', '' Guru Sishyan'', ''

Aayiram Vilakku ''Aayiram Vilakku'' () is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by S. P. Hosimin, in his second venture, starring Sathyaraj and Shanthnoo, whilst Sana Khan, Kamal Kamaraju, Ganja Karuppu, and Suman play pivotal roles. T ...

'', '' Uchithanai Muharnthaal'', ''

'', ''

Thalaivaa ''Thalaivaa'' () is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by A. L. Vijay. It stars Vijay in the title role. The film, produced by Chandraprakash Jain, features background score and soundtrack composed by G. ...

'' and '' Raja Rani''. In ''Nanban'', he played a college professor and won the Best Supporting Actor awards at the Filmfare, Vijay and SIIMA ceremonies, while in ''Thalaivaa'', ''Raja Rani'', '' Mirchi'' and ''

Chennai Express ''Chennai Express'' () is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language action comedy film directed by Rohit Shetty and produced by Ronnie Screwvala, Siddharth Roy Kapur, Gauri Khan and Karim Morani, based on a story by K. Subash, with a screenplay writ ...

'' he played father characters. Sathyaraj and Manivannan worked together for the last time in ''

Nagaraja Cholan MA, MLA ''Nagaraja Cholan MA, MLA'' is a 2013 Tamil-language political satire film directed by Manivannan. A sequel to ''Amaidhi Padai'' (1994), it stars Sathyaraj in his 200th film, reprising his role as Nagaraja Cholan from the original, alongside an ...

'', which was Manivannan's 50th and last directorial venture before his death. A sequel to ''Amaidhipadai'', it was also the 200th film of Sathyaraj and became a box office bomb. He ventured into Telugu cinema after long time as a supporting actor in ''

Sankham ''Shankar'' () is a 2009 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film produced by J Bhagavan, J Pulla Rao under Sri Balaji Cine Media banner and directed by Siva and associated by Shiva Rama Krishna. Starring Gopichand, Trisha and Sathyaraj, th ...

'' in 2009 and later did '' Mirchi'' in 2012, both of which were successful. He also entered Malayalam cinema with ''

'' in 2009. He played the role of Kattappa in '' Baahubali: The Beginning'' (2015) and has reprised the role in the sequel '' Baahubali: The Conclusion'' (2017). In 2015, at the age of 60, the media and public at large rechristened him as Kattappa, as he received nationwide popularity for his role in India's biggest motion picture ''Baahubali: The Beginning''. Since the time he made his debut as junior artiste at 24 years of age, he had been wanting to do a historical or a folklore film and it was his long cherished dream. He quoted in an interview in 2015: "I am a great fan of MGR who is popular in folklore films, like NTR in Telugu movies. My dream of doing a folklore at 24 has been realised at 60 through ''Rajamouli''. I played Rajinikanth's father when I was 31 and Rajini was 35, so I never cared for age..it never mattered to me." He acted as lead role in the film ''

Oru Naal Iravil ''Oru Naal Iravil'' () is a 2015 Indian Tamil language thriller film edited and directed by Anthony in his directorial debut. A remake of Joy Mathew's successful Malayalam film '' Shutter'' (2012), the film stars Sathyaraj in the lead role. The f ...

'' (2015). A faithful remake of much acclaimed Malayalam movie, '' Shutter'' has been helmed by editor turned director, Antony with great integrity. Sathyaraj as the middle aged man brings so much life to his character. In 2016, he acted with his son Sibiraj in '' Jackson Durai'', another addition to the popular "Horror-comedy genre". Followed by the last movie series '' Baahubali 2: The Conclusion'' (2017). He played the role of DC Ratnavel "Randy", a Police officer in the film '' Mersal'' (2017) directed by Atlee. Sathyaraj won the Best Supporting Actor – Tamil for the movie '' Kanaa'' (2018). The following year, he subsequently starred in films like ''

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label= Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west France. It is the ...

'', ''

Prati Roju Pandage ''Prati Roju Pandage'' () is a 2019 Indian Telugu-language comedy-drama film written and directed by Maruthi. The film was produced by Bunny Vasu and Sreenivasa Kumar Naidu (SKN) under GA2 Pictures and UV Creations with Sai Tej, Raashii Kha ...

'' and '' Thambi''.

2021–present

In 2021, he appears in ''

Tughlaq Durbar ''Tughlaq Durbar'' is a 2021 Indian Tamil-language political satire film written and directed by Delhi Prasad Deenadayalan, on his directional debut, with screenplay and dialogues written by Balaji Tharaneetharan. The film stars Vijay Sethupa ...

'', inspired by Manivannan's political satire ''

''. Then Ponram's, '' MGR Magan'' which has Sathyaraj and Sasikumar starring. In '' Theerpugal Virkapadum'', he plays the role of a dad who seeks revenge for the injustice meted out to his daughter.

Personal life

In 1979, Sathyaraj married Maheswari, niece of producer Madhampatti Sivakumar, and had two children, daughter Divya and son Sibiraj, also an actor. Sathyaraj is a staunch atheist. Sathyaraj and Manivannan shared a close friendship since college and became frequent collaborators in films in Tamil cinema. ''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the sec ...

'' wrote: "His (Manivannan's) friendship with actor Sathiyaraj translated to several memorable moments on screen. Manivannan...along with Sathyaraj epitomised on screen what is colloquially known in Tamil as "nakkal" (snideness)". According to Behindwoods.com, Manivannan (as the director) and Sathyaraj had consecutive hit films together beginning from 1987 to 1994; '' Chinna Thambi Periya Thambi'', ''

'', '' Jallikattu'', ''

Vaazhkai Chakkaram ''Vaazhkai Chakkaram'' () is a 1990 Indian Tamil-language action drama film directed by Manivannan. The film stars Sathyaraj, Gautami, Goundamani and Vinu Chakravarthy. The film, produced and written by Tirupur Mani, was released on 9 February ...

'', ''

'', '' Therku Theru Machan'' and ''

''.Manivannan , Successive hits – Who gave the most in Tamil cinema?
. Behindwoods.com. About working with Manivannan, he has said that it "is a pleasure. There's no script, no dialogue sheet. It's all in his head. But, he extracts great performances". Sathyaraj and Manivannan also acted together in several films directed by other directors. About his personal relationship with Manivannan, Sathyaraj remarked "I still reminisce about the beautiful moments that I had with...Manivannan, a genius of a person. In fact, he is the one who taught me many things in life, and changed me, I became a good human from being just an actor. Every day, we used to have conversations over the phone on a wide range of topics. It was a 30-year relationship. No one could understand me the way he did". Manivannan died in 2013 and Sathyaraj has said that just 24 hours before his death they had discussed their next project and that he narrated him a story.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Honours

, - ! scope="row" , 1991 ,

Kalaimamani The Kalaimamani is the highest civilian award in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. These awards are given by the ''Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram'' (literature, music and theatre), a unit of the Directorate of Art and Culture, Government o ...

Government of Tamil Nadu Government of Tamil Nadu is the subnational government for the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is seated at Fort St George, Chennai. The legislature of Tamil Nadu was bicameral until 1986, when it was replaced by a unicameral legislature ...

, , - ! scope="row" , 1995 ,

Tamil Nadu State Film Honorary Award The Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Honorary Award given by the ''Tamil Nadu State Government'' as part of its annual Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for Tamil cinema personalities who contributed in developing the Tamil cinema in India. Arignar A ...

(MGR Award) ,

Tamil Nadu State Film Awards Tamil Nadu State Film Awards were given for excellence in Tamil cinema in India. They were given annually to honour the best talents and provide encouragement and incentive to the South Indian film industry by the Government of Tamil Nadu. The aw ...

, , - ! scope="row" , 2000 ,

Honorary Doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

, Sathyabama University , , - ! scope="row" , 2011 , Kalaichchigaram Award , Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards , , - ! scope="row" , 2017 , Honorary Doctorate , Vels University ,

Awards

{, class="wikitable" , - style="background:#b0c4de; text-align:center;" ! scope="col" , Year ! scope="col" , Category ! scope="col" , Award ! scope="col" , Film ! scope="col" , Result , - , 1987 , Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil ,

Filmfare Awards South Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by the Filmfare magazine of The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Indian film industry encompassing ...

, '' Vedham Pudhithu'' , , - , 1988 , Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil ,

, '' En Bommukutty Ammavukku'' , , - , 1990 , Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil ,

, '' Nadigan'' , , - , 1990 , Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize ,

, '' Nadigan'' , , - , 1993 ,

Cinema Express Award for Best Actor – Tamil The Cinema Express Best Actor Award is given as a part of its annual Cinema Express Awards for Tamil (Kollywood Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the T ...

, Cinema Express Awards , ''

'' , , - , 2007 , Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize ,

, ''

'' , , - , 2007 , Periyar Award ,

, ''

'' , , - , 2007 , Best Actor , Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards , ''

'' , , - , 2007 , Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil ,

, '' Onbadhu Roobai Nottu'' , , - , 2007 , Vijay Award for Best Actor ,

Vijay Awards The Vijay Awards are presented by the Tamil television channel STAR Vijay to honour excellence in Tamil cinema. It has been given annually since 2006, with the latest—the 10th edition—of the award-giving ceremony having been held i ...

, '' Onbadhu Roobai Nottu'' , , - , 2012 , Vijay Award for Best Supporting Actor ,

, ''

'' , , - , 2012 , Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Tamil ,

, ''

'' , , - , 2012 , Best Actor in a Supporting Role ,

South Indian International Movie Awards South Indian International Movie Awards, also known as the SIIMA Awards, rewards the artistic and technical achievements of the South Indian film industry. It was launched in 2012 by Vishnu Vardhan Induri and Brinda Prasad Adusimilli to apprec ...

, ''

'' , , - , 2013 , Best Actor in a Supporting Role ,

, '' Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangam'' , , - , 2013 , SIIMA Award for Best Supporting Actor – Telugu ,

, '' Mirchi'' , , - , 2013 , Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Tamil ,

, '' Raja Rani'' , , - , 2015 , Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Telugu ,

, '' Baahubali: The Beginning'' , , - , 2015 , SIIMA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Telugu) ,

, '' Baahubali: The Beginning'' , , - , 2015 , Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Telugu ,

1st IIFA Utsavam The 1st IIFA Utsavam ceremony honouring the winners and nominees of the best of South Indian cinema in 2015 was an event held on 24 and 25 January 2016 at the Gachibowli Athletic Stadium, Hyderabad. Marking the inaugural event of the IIFA Utsav ...

, '' Baahubali: The Beginning'' , , - , 2015 , Performance in a Supporting Role – Tamil ,

, '' Baahubali: The Beginning'' , , - , 2015 , Best Supporting Actor , Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards , '' Baahubali: The Beginning'' , , - , 2016 , Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Telugu ,

, ''

Nenu Sailaja ''Nenu.. Sailaja...'' () is a 2016 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film directed by Kishore Tirumala and produced by Sravanthi Ravi Kishore, starring Ram Pothineni and Keerthy Suresh. The film was produced by Sri Sravanthi Movies, which ...

'' , , - , 2017 , Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Telugu ,

, '' Baahubali 2: The Conclusion'' , , - , 2017 , Best Supporting Actor – Telugu ,

, '' Baahubali 2: The Conclusion'' , , - , 2017 , Best Supporting Actor , Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards , '' Baahubali 2: The Conclusion'' , , - , 2018 , Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Tamil ,

, '' Kanaa'' , , - , 2018 , Best Supporting Actor ,

, '' Kanaa'' , , - , 2019 , Best Supporting Actor ,

, '' Thambi'' , , -

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1954 births 20th-century Indian male actors 21st-century Indian male actors Filmfare Awards South winners Indian atheists Indian male film actors Living people Male actors from Tamil Nadu Male actors in Hindi cinema Male actors in Kannada cinema Male actors in Tamil cinema Male actors in Telugu cinema People from Coimbatore district People from Coimbatore Periyarists Tamil male actors Tamil Nadu State Film Awards winners